Ball point fountain pen



Sept. 5, 1950 D.- B. CANADAY, JR

, BALL POINT FOUNTAIN PEN Filed March 25, 1947 awe/Mon 00/7/6/ 5. Canaaay Q/f:

Patented Sept. 5,1950 7 UN I T ED STATES PAT EN T O FF] CE BALL POINT FOUNTAIN PEN Daniel B. Canaday, J13, Inman, s. 0.

Application March .25, 1947, Serial No. 737,184

4 Claims.

My invention relates to fountain pens, particularly to a fountain pen of the type adapted for use with a small ball at the writing end thereof instead of the usual standard steel or gold pen as .a writing means.

The use of a ball instead of the usual pen is quite new in the art. Nevertheless many improvements have been made in devices for this mode of writing. However, in none of these improvements has the --basic design of the method of securin the ball been made, and the ball is still engaged in a socket in which the ball revolves secured by an annular retainer. Such design requires the pen to be held in a substantial vertical position. Since the average'fountain pen user prefers holding his pen angularly disposed relative to the paper upon which he is writing, manual discomfort frequently results if good results are'to be obtained.

It is a principal object of my invention to provide a ball point pen which may be'used when held angularly disposed relative to the paper being Written upon.

It is an important object of my invention to provide in a, pen of the type described a novel means, including the use of a permanent magnet, which will permit disposition of the ball at the outside of the tapered end of the barrel.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel feed means for the ink comprising a paramagnetic rod axially disposed in'the said pen which will cooperate with the ball point to regulate "the flow of ink.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide in a pen .of the character described adjustable means for increasing or decreasing the flow of ink by changing the opening about the ball point.

It is another object of the invention to provide a ball point pen which is simple in structure, will hold a large supply of ink, and which can be manufactured cheaply.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following specification, and accompanying draw-' ings, wherein like numerals are used to desi nate like parts throughout.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an axial section through a ball point fountain pen embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and,

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail of a modification of the tapered end of the barrel.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the

numeral 5 designates a longitudinal tubular barrel open at each end and which may conveniently be made of rubber, vulcanite, plastic or other suitable material. The barrel 5 is tapered at one end to provide a tapered portion 5 terminating in an opening 1 of relative small diameter relative to the general body diameter. The other end is provided with a removable cap .8 .threaded ly secured on the barrel, .as at .9, and having, an axial opening in for a purpose which will become apparent. A circular partition member H provided with an axial opening 42 is mounted in the tapered portion 6, providing a reservoir [3 in which a supply of ink 14 of a type suitable .for use in ball point pens may be placed by removing the cap 8, and a recess. l5 adjacent the tapered end of portion 6 in which a permanent magnet I6 is positioned, terminating closely adjacent the opening I so that the said opening I will lay within the efiective field of said magnet and an object made of magnetic material positioned in said opening would be subjected to the magnetomotive force of said magnet.

The magnet 16 is provided with an axial bore [1 in which a tubular member 18 is arranged, the said member [8 terminating closely adj aceni; the opening I. A pin l9 formed of a paramagnetic material, preferably steel or iron, extends axially through the barrel 5 from the opening 1 to the cap 8, and-passes successively through the opening l2 in partition H and opening [0 in cap 8 where it is attached to a finger knob 20, the said knob having a dependent portion threadedly engaging in a circular recess 2| formed by an annular flange on said cap 8 to prevent leakage of the ink M. The respective diameters of opening I2 and the tubular member [8 shall be large enough to allow an annular space 22 about said pin for passage of ink [4 from the reservoir #3 to the opening 1'.

My invention is completed by insertion of a steel ball 23 positioned in the opening I of a size slightly greater than the said opening I so that more than one-half of said ball will project outwardly therefrom. The said ball will be held in position by the force of the said magnet l6 and will in turn attract to itself and hold the pin [9 lightly so that the rotation of the ball 23 in Writing will cause a, slight motion of pin ill to bring a constant supply of ink for writing to the said ball.

It will be obvious that the supply of ink being fed to the ball 23 may be increased or decreased by adjustment of the length of the pin I9 by means of the finger knob 20, moving the ball 23 inwardly or outwardly relative to the opening I.

In the modification of Figure 3 I choose to terminate the tapered portion 6 to define an angle relative to the axis of the pen. In this way I provide a portion of the opening I overlying the ball 23, as at 24. In this way I am able to keep my ball 23 within the opening I and still allow the pen to be operated at angle of less than 45 degrees relative to the paper being written upon. In all other respects the pen is constructed and functions in the manner hereinbefore described.

I'have described my improved ball point pen in the embodiment best known to me at this time.

the shape and arrangement of the parts, and substitution of materials and equivalents, may be.

made within the scope of the subjoined claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a fountain pen, the combination of a longitudinal cylindrical barrel open at each end, one end of the said barrel being tapered and terminating in an opening of relatively smaller diameter than the barrel at the other end,'a removable cap carried on the larger end of said barrel, the said cap being provided with an axial opening therethrough, a transverse partition in the tapered portion of said barrel adjacent the largest diametered portion thereof having an axial opening therethrough, the said partition dividing the inside of said barrel into two separate recesses, the recess in the larger diametered portion of said barrel being adapted to contain a quantity of ink, a permanent magnet in the recess formed in the tapered portion adjacent the small diametered opening therein, there being an axial bore in said magnet, a non-magnetic tube in the bore formed in said magnetdefining a passageway for ink from the reservoir to the smaller diametered opening, a ball formed of magnetic material and of slightly larger diameter than the opening at the tapered end of said iabarrel positioned therein within the zone of magnetomotive force of said magnet to be rotatively between said ball and the opening in which the ball is positioned.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which the tapered end of said barrel is formed at an angle other than a right angle to the axial plane ofsaid barrel.

3. A ball point pen comprising an elongated hollow cylinder tapering at one end and open at the other end, a permanent magnet in the tapered end of the cylinder, a partition separating the space occupied by said magnet from the remaining part of the cylinder, said remaining part constituting an ink reservoir, said magnet having an axial conduit therethrough extending from said partition to a point just short of the tapered end of the cylinder, said partition having an aperture therethrough communicating the reservoir 4 with the conduit, 1 a rod longitudinally disposed through said reservoir, aperture, and conduit, a removable cap at said other nd of the cylinder, a screw threadedly mounted on the wall of said cap and projecting axially therethrough,

said rod being" connected to said screw whereby .rotation of the screw changes the axial position of the rod, and a ball on the tapered end of the cylinder, in contact with the rod, said ball being of a material that is attracted by the magnet.

4. A ball point pen -comprising an elongated hollow cylinder tapering atone end and open at the other end, a permanent magnet in the tapered end of'the cylinder, a partition separating the space occupied by said magnet from the remaining part of the cylinder, said remaining part constituting an ink reservoir, said magnet having an axial conduit therethrough extending from said partition to 'a point just short of the tapered end of thecylinder, said partition having an aperture therethrough communicating the reservoir with the conduit, a rod longitudinally disposed through said reservoir, aperture and conduit, a removable cap at said other end of the cylinder, a screw threadedly mounted on the wall of said cap and projecting axially therethrough, said rod being connected to said screw, whereby rotation of the screw changes the axial position of the rod, a ball on the tapered end of the cylinder in contact with the rod, said ball being of a materialthat is'att'racted by the magnet, and a lip projecting from the tapered end of the cylinder over one side of said ball. 7

- DANIEL B. CANADAY, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

